Region | |
---|---|
Subregion | France > Bordeaux > Right Bank > St Emilion |
Colour | Red |
Type | Still |
View all vintages of this wine | View all wines by Château Bellevue Mondotte
A little gem of an estate owned by the Perse family, the 2011 Bellevue Mondotte is composed of 90% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% Cabernet Franc. This super, highly concentrated wine (please don't make the mistake of saying "over-extracted" as there is not a bit of bitterness to be found) is the product of tiny yields and a late harvest. A thick, port-like, black/ruby/purple color is followed by a powerful, rich, exceptionally pure wine with stunning balance. From a vintage where most wines will need to be consumed within their first 15-20 years of life, this cuvee will undoubtedly last 30 or more.
Picked on 27th September, the Bellevue Mondotte has a sensual bouquet with ripe saturated black cherries, crème de cassis and blueberry that is unashamedly opulent, especially for the vintage. The palate is full-bodied with firm grip, great depth, quite tensile tannins and great precision on the finish. Modern in style (of course) but I like the focus here and the minerality on the finish. Very fine. Tasted April 2012.
A Bellevue-Mondotte with pretty balance and richness, featuring chocolate, berries and hints of coffee. Full body, chewy but velvety tannins and a long, flavorful finish. Needs at least three to four years to soften and come together. Try in 2016.
This backward, primary wine may have just finished malolactic fermentation. From a tiny vineyard owned by Chantal and Gerard Perse, the fruit was harvested on September 17 at a microscopic 22 hectoliters per hectare. Composed of 90% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% Cabernet Franc, the 2011 Bellevue Mondotte is the most powerful wine in the Perse portfolio, coming in at 14.5% natural alcohol (more similar to 2009 and 2010 than most 2011s). From a great terroir (just across the street from Stephan von Neipperg's La Mondotte), the wine exhibits massive, full-bodied power, extraordinary depth and richness as well as a boatload of tannins that have yet to soften and mellow. This appears to be a long-term proposition for most readers. I suspect it will soften considerably during its upbringing in oak barrels, and will undoubtedly require 5-6 years of cellaring after its release in 2014. If you are young, wealthy and have a lot of patience, purchasing this wine should be a serious consideration as it should turn out to be one of the great 2011s.
This is concentrated and very tannic. Full-bodied, with chewy tannins. Seems slightly hollow in the mid-palate. But should be outstanding.